St. George's
player has it all — on court with Saints, in everyday life

Matinee idol Murray modest about hoops excellence

By Gerald Narciso, Special to The Sun

Emerson Murray's just got it. The Hollywood looks, the
smile, everything. Like Will Smith, circa 1991, Emerson rocks a stylish
high-top fade that easily adds two inches to his already 6-3 frame. And every
time he walks down those posh halls at St. George's, the Grade 8 kids freeze up
in his mere presence.

"Emerson's the guy
that all the guys want to be like and all the girls want to date," says
Pasha Bains, the former UBC and Richmond High standout who coached Murray's AAU
team last summer. "He's just that guy. He's like the Fresh Prince. His
personality is infectious."

On the court, he turns
heads too. In his first year on the varsity team, the Grade 11 swing guard is
quickly becoming known as one of the best players in the country.

Heading into the
provincials, Murray was averaging 20.4 points, 7.4 rebounds, 3.8 steals and 3.5
assists per game. The online recruiting publication HoopStars Canada ranks him
as the ninth-best high school prospect in the country, and his freakish
athleticism is becoming legendary. One video clip of his high-flying arsenal
has garnered more than 10,000 views on YouTube.

"From a skill
standpoint, he's a next-level player," says St. George's head coach Brian
Lee, who pauses to gather his thoughts before shaking his head and smiling.
"Some of the stuff he does on the court ..."

Off the court, Murray is
anything but showy. He is terrible at talking about himself. Ask him about his
athletic ability and he'll tell you that his brother, Leo, can actually jump
higher. Ask him about the 33 points he scored on Vancouver College last month
and he'll just shift the credit to his teammates and coaches.

"He's unbelievably
modest in terms of how much hype is around him and how much people try to boost
his ego," says teammate Joshua Robertson.

"Emerson is sort of
innately like that; he's always had this peaceful aura about him," adds
his mother Jane. "He is a very kind person."

On top of being named to
the all-tournament team at the HSBC Classic last December, Murray was also
honoured with the Gil Puder Memorial Award for Most Exemplary Citizen. He also
attends the piano recitals of coach Lee's five-year-old daughter, Daje, who
calls Emerson "uncle."

"Yes, he's a terrific
athlete, but it's his character that everyone will speak about," says Lee.
"Anybody who has had any interaction with him will walk away saying 'wow
that's a classy individual.'"

Murray was born and raised
in the Fleetwood section of Surrey, and athletics was big in his home. His
father Mike, a native of Jamaica, was a sprinting coach for the Canadian
national team at three different Olympics. His older siblings, Leo and Novelle,
excelled at track at Surrey Secondary, and Novelle went on to be one of the top
discus throwers in the NCAA with the University of Hawaii. But it was a gift
Emerson received that broke the cycle. "When I was two I got a Fisher
Price hoop for my birthday and been hooked ever since."

As an eight-year-old, he'd
play guys almost triple his age at the Don Bosco Youth Centre or the local
YMCA. By the time he entered St. George's in Grade 8, he was six-foot and
already dunking. As a member of the JV team last season, Murray led the Saints
to a third-place finish at the B.C. Junior Championships and was named Most
Outstanding Player.

Murray took his game up a
notch last summer as a member of the Vancouver-based AAU team, Drive. Competing
in Las Vegas and Bellevue, Wash., he put on a show against his U.S.
counterparts, bringing down the house after dunking on a player from Mater Dei
High School in California.

"One of his own
teammates asked Emerson for his autograph after that game. The teammate was
like 'I've got to get this before it's worth something,'" Bains says with
a laugh.

The kid is still just 16.

"He's got the tools,
he's got the skill set," says Bains. "But I don't think he's found
his niche as a player yet. I don't think he's even scratched the surface of
what he can do."